The Energy Story

Energy is all around us - even within us. When we turn on our light switch, a dark room is suddenly flooded with light. When we start the car, the engine revs and we are able to travel to distant places. When we eat our cereal for breakfast, we can work and play and move around throughout the day. Most of us don't even think about it, but we do these things every day. And it is all possible because of energy.

 

In our exhibition, “The Energy Story,” a variety of hands-on activities will allow visitors to explore the many forms of energy and how we use them to get things done. Topics of exploration include the difference between potential and kinetic energy, the various forms of energy and how they are converted from one to another, how energy travels, and how energy is generated and used by humans, including the use of renewable and non-renewable sources.

Visitors will have the opportunity to investigate the nature and behavior of light using a laser in a special darkened area of the exhibit hall, create a circuit with batteries and common household items, and experiment with heat conduction through various materials. Other activities include setting up dominoes to demonstrate a nuclear chain reaction, measuring the amount of energy generated by a wind turbine and a solar cell, and experimenting with the many forms of electromagnetic energy, from radio waves to ultraviolet light. Visitors to “The Energy Story” will come away with a better appreciation of the amazing ways that energy touches our lives and the importance of conserving the precious energy resources we all depend on.

 

This exhibit is sponsored by Pacific Gas & Electric Company and Davis Waste Removal.